I Sought Out the Tragedy's Scheming Mastermind

“The dress must go well with these shoes, right?”

“Yes, they look good… um?”

Mary didn’t automatically say yes and hesitated instead, staring at the draft.

It was obvious that the pointy boots were something a dwarf fairy would wear and wouldn’t go well with the sky blue chiffon dress.

Seeing Mary wince, Eliana repeated softly. “Do you really like them?”

“I-It’s…”

Mary’s eyes shook violently.

‘She must think this doesn’t look right.’

Eliana specifically chose a pair of boots that didn’t suit her and laughed out loud when she saw Mary’s reaction.

Eliana’s resonant voice rang through the room.

“Why… are you laughing?” 

Mary looked at Eliana in confusion.

“Princess, who’s the star of this ceremony?”

“Of course it’s me, right?”

Mary stared at her, wondering why she was asking that.

“So why are you trying to do everything my way?”

“That… Because it’s what you thought of and chose, Miss Eliana. I thought that since you’re in charge of preparations, you’d know better than I do.”

Mary shrank back and explained, thinking she was being questioned.

Eliana smiled softly at Mary and answered politely.

“Of course, I did put a lot of thought into this, but it was all for your convenience, princess. Not mine.”

“…” 

“The most important part of this meeting is not my preferences but yours.”

“My choices won’t be much different from yours, Miss Eliana.”

Mary gave a slightly forced answer, trying to avoid an argument.

Mary seemed to think that Eliana was trying to argue.

Eliana tried to look as generous as she could to show that she was never angry.

“If I insist you wear those fairy shoes, will you really wear them?”

“That…”

“Don’t you think they won’t look good on you?”

“Miss Eliana?”

Mary still looked as if she didn’t understand Eliana’s intentions.

Eliana, who was standing against her, seemed just uncomfortable.

Most people just enjoyed what Mary gave them, so she deserved this.

Eliana clenched her fists this time.

She looked like an angry woman that had been slapped and subjected to something very unpleasant.

It was at that moment when Mary started to cringe, watching Eliana.

Eliana shouted in Mary’s defense. 

“If I were a princess, I’d yell, ‘Would you be able to wear this?!’ and throw the draft at their face.”

“I-Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Mary’s eyes were wide.

She stared at Eliana as if she were a strange person, wondering how she could throw things at people.

Eliana met Mary’s gaze and confidently said, “Isn’t it important to be harsh? You’d be humiliated in front of so many people.”

“…” 

“If the princess wore those to the ceremony, you’d be a laughingstock for a long time.”

“No matter how much…” Mary mumbled, her eyes shaking.

Eliana added more force to her tone.

“I’d probably kick at my blanket every night and grind my teeth, dying to see how I could get back at the person who picked those shoes.”

Eliana waved her hand as if she had imagined it.

She described a face she didn’t want to imagine, which was a bonus.

Mary blankly stared at Eliana.

Come to think of it, she seemed to be right.

Mary would not be able to take a single step without her face turning red in those shoes and dress.

Feeling Mary’s agitation, Eliana teased her with a wicked expression.

“You just imagined it, right? Your face turned completely red.”

“T-That’s!”

Mary tried to hide behind a fan, but Eliana lightly stopped her.

Eliana grabbed Mary’s fan and said,

“So tell me, ‘I would never wear these shoes. Put them on yourself.’“

“I-I can’t! How could I say that!” Mary refused in a shrill voice.

Eliana switched up the words because she thought it was a little extreme.

“Okay, then just say, ‘I’m not going to wear these shoes.’ It’s difficult to say no at first, but if you keep trying, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Eliana did not let go of the fan and kept her eyes on her, motivating her.

If Mary didn’t say it, this atmosphere would never end.

Eventually, Mary murmured in a trembling voice.

“These shoes… uhh.”

“What? Speak up, princess.”

Eliana said with a sly face, even though she understood perfectly.

Mary stared at her nervously.

Mary suddenly opened her mouth in hopes that she would embrace it.

“I… I’m not going to wear these shoes.”

Her voice was so small that if you weren’t around, you wouldn’t have heard.

Eliana smiled contentedly and soothed her.

“Speak louder.”

Mary’s face flushed at Eliana’s request. She shouted with a determined face.

“I-I-I won’t! I won’t wear them! I’m not going to wear them! …Hiccup!“

Her voice was very sharp this time.

It was the first time Mary had ever heard her voice so loud.

She was startled because of it and had hiccups.

She shouted at someone for the first time in her life.

She must’ve surprised herself a lot because her hands were shaking.

But it was weird.

Why did she feel a little refreshed?

Hadn’t she at least shouted to let out her feelings? At least once in her life?

“Hiccup!”

Unlike her determined shout, the sound of Mary’s hiccups was very cute.

Even though she answered strongly, she tried to hide her expression again.

Eliana stared at Mary with wide eyes, not expecting her voice to be so loud.

As soon as Mary’s heart sank, a friendly smile spread across Eliana’s face more than ever before.

The corners of Eliana’s eyes crinkled, telling Mary she had done very well.

Mary’s eyes widened at the sight of Eliana.

She kept smiling even though she was disrespectful.

Others used to frown if Mary didn’t smile at all.

So it was Mary’s daily routine to smile even if she didn’t like it.

No one was like Eliana. They all threatened her if she refused something she didn’t like.

Eliana clapped for Mary with exhilaration, who was completely stiff. Her response was very enthusiastic.

Imagine shouting and then being congratulated for it.

Mary couldn’t understand Eliana’s behavior at all.

Then Eliana spoke.

“Well done, princess. If there’s anything you don’t like in the future, please feel free to shout.”

“…It’s strange.”

“What is?”

“…Nothing,” Mary muttered faintly and shook her head.

Eliana’s reaction naturally stopped her hiccups.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but she didn’t hate it.

Now, when she thought of holding a conversation with others, she didn’t feel as nervous. Maybe she was too lighthearted.

“So, shall we decide again?” 

Eliana grinned and rolled up her sleeves.

She thrust the draft back at Mary as if they were starting over again.

Mary asked with a puzzled face. “Didn’t we decide on this already?”

“We’ll choose again according to your preference, princess.” Eliana clarified.

Mary blankly gazed at Eliana.

She was sorry that she had to throw away hours of hard work.

“Are you okay?” Eliana asked with concern in her voice.

“Of course,” came the cheerful response of Mary.

Eliana patiently waited for Mary to pick out her choices again one by one.

‘I’ve never felt this comfortable talking to Kallius…’ Mary thought with a gentle smile on her lips.

She was finally able to have a comfortable conversation.

* * *

Verkley had a lazy smile on his face, like a full beast.

His physical condition has improved beyond recognition over the past few days.

Lying alone in the quiet bedroom, Verkley’s eyes suddenly turned red.

His right pupil was not an ordinary human eye.

The sign of the contract was clearly engraved inside.

A mark in the shape of a small snake devouring a large piece of gold.

The shape of a snake seeking power beyond its means.

Verkley had no expression on his face, which was unusual.

When the smile disappeared from his face, which always had a sense of gentleness to it, a coolness lingered in the air.

“As expected, it’s strange.”

He gnawed on his lower lip and muttered with a furrow in his brow, closing his eyes gently.

A slight pain emerged in his head.

‘Have I already run out of energy?’

Verkley naturally thought of Eliana, who had gone to see Mary, and waited for her return.

As soon as he touched Eliana, his tiresome pain disappeared, and he gradually relied on her.

Since Eliana Mussieux entered his territory, the demon’s power has been stabilizing rapidly.

Especially when he kissed her, he felt refreshed enough to get rid of the headache for a few days.

Still, his body could not accept the demon’s power, but the pain was less, so it felt like he could survive.

As Mach said, if he couldn’t control his strength until the debut, then he’d have to create a clone of himself, but that was no longer necessary.

As long as he stays with her, he can control his power without having to make a clone.

Verkley was curious about the origin of Eliana’s ability.

When he discovered that she was a mage, he tried to steal her mana core but failed.

The mana inside her mana core was the same kind of mana he possessed.

There’s nothing he’d gain from stealing it but her death.

“Surely, our eyes met,” Verkley murmured lowly.